Before Gin There Was Jenever
Jenever is gin’s lesser-known forefather and originated in the Netherlands in the 13th century*. It is a clear, malted grain-based spirit produced using juniper berries.
Dutch gin is a distinctly different drink from English-style gin; it is distilled with barley and sometimes aged in wood, giving it a slight resemblance to whisky.
There are two types: Jonge (young) which is the closest in taste to gin, and normally drunk neat and very cold, and Oude (old).
Jonge jenever has a neutral taste, like vodka, with a slight aroma of juniper and malt wine. Oude jenever has a smoother, very aromatic taste with malty flavours.
Although England became a market for Dutch Genever from the 16th century onwards, the drink really came into fashion in 1689, when Dutch King William of Orange was on the English throne. He boycotted imports of popular Brandy produced in enemy France and, as a consequence, Genever’s popularity in England became enormous.
English distillers tried to reproduce the spirit because it was such a success. However, they lacked the right recipe. So they developed their own version of genever, which became known as gin.
Many of today's leading Dutch Genever distillers can trace their origins back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Examples include such firms as Bols (founded 1575) and de Kuyper (1695). Other Dutch brands of gin are: Damrak Gin, Bokma, Claeryn, Hartevelt, Hoppe, Rembrandt Korewijn, Old Geneva, Klarenaer, Jonge Wees .
In Amsterdam, jenever is still made by The Stillery, Van Wees and Wynand Fockink/Lucas Bols.
* Jenever was already known in the late Middle Ages and was used as a medicine as early as the 1500s. It was sold in pharmacies and used to treat such medical problems as kidney ailments, lumbago, stomach ailments, gallstones, and gout.
Synonyms for a glass of jenever:
serves the best tenderloin steaks in town
Relaxed panorama bar with 360° view of the city
former hangout of rock 'n' roll star and painter Herman Brood. Great place for a drink
the most idyllic café terraces in the centre of Amsterdam